Hey guys I need some help. I have a brand new alternator for my 1982 Camaro. Heres the thing, it wont go past 12 volts on the gauge. The old one ran about 14/15 volts. does a new one need to be broke in or something, everything seems to be hooked up right, good ground wires are good and belt it tight. any ideas

 

yah im back at my place and have checked everything, i dont know why im having problems

 

A friend of mine had the same problem with a new one i told him to take it back until he got a good one.after three tries at autozone he finally got one that was good.it should put out 13-14 volts.

 

Ok I need more help if that’s kewl. Ok I took off the alternator and had it tested. It ran a good 16 volts and they said it was perfectly good. Everything seems to look good connection wise. I don’t know what’s draining all the volts. Can why one help?

 

you could try a voltmeter at the guage and see what's actually there.your guage could be bad.

 

If you're talking about the gauge on the dash, don't ever trust that one to be accurate. Put a DVOM meter gauge on the battery and on the Alternator wire to verify voltage. If the alternator tested OK, chances are it will put out OK in your car. More than likely, your 26 yr old dash gauge is tired & lazy.
Corky